Fifth Harmony (formerly known as LYLAS and 1432) are an all-female pop group who finished in 3rd place on the second season of The X Factor. They are a part of the Groups category, mentored by Simon Cowell.

Background

The group's members - Ally Brooke (Allyson Brooke Hernandez), Dinah Jane Hansen, Camila Cabello (Karla Camila Cabello), Normani Hamilton (Normani Kordei Hamilton) and Lauren Jauregui (Lauren Michelle Jauregui) - all originally auditioned for the show as solo artists but didn't make it past bootcamp. Knowing how talented all five girls were, the judges decided to give them another chance as a group. They wowed their mentor, Simon Cowell, and his guest advisor, Latin music superstar Marc Anthony, at Judges' Homes with their rendition of the Shontelle hit "Impossible", resulting in Cowell choosing them as one of four groups going to the live shows.

X Factor

Name change

The group's original name, which stood for "love you like a sister" (LYLAS), was what they intended to go with as a name until an all-female singing group called The Lylas, which is comprised of singer Bruno Mars' four sisters, claimed that they had the name first, resulting in a rumored feud between both groups. On October 31, 2012 at the live shows, the girls revealed that their new group name was 1432, which stands for "I love you too". However, after Simon Cowell chose them to be a part of the top 12 on November 1, 2012, he told the girls that their new name was a mistake and declared that the public would decide what their new group name would be via the show's official website. They revealed their new name, Fifth Harmony, on November 7, 2012.

Performances

While they were on the show, the girls took on different songs that allowed them to showcase their vocal abilities ranging from "Set Fire to The Rain" by Adele, "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri, "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" by Kelly Clarkson, and their breakthrough performance of "Anything Could Happen" by Ellie Goulding. Despite being coldly called "Fifth Unison" by LA Reid, the girls proved him and fellow judge Britney Spears, who wasn't keen on them either, wrong by staying in the competition week after week. Their mentor, Simon Cowell, frequently let the girls know how proud he was of them and gave them encouragement.

Fifth Harmony finished in 3rd place on December 20, 2012.

Fans

Fifth Harmony's fans, who are very loyal and very devoted, are known as "Harmonizers". The girls send out their love and appreciation for their fans regularly on Twitter. Despite the girls finishing the show in 3rd place, their fans believe that, like One Direction, the girls will become huge stars.

Influences

The girls of Fifth Harmony each bring something unique to the table, and their influences reflect that diversity. From crooners like Frank Sinatra and Josh Groban for Ally, to songstresses like Christina Aguilera and Whitney Houston and Beyonce for Dinah Jane, Lana Del Rey for Lauren, Demi Lovato and Ed Sheeran for Camila, and Aretha Franklin and Rihanna for Normani.

Beginnings

Dinah Jane began singing in her church at age four, while Camila didn't start until the seventh grade. Normani first performed as a dancer at age three and Lauren's public debut came in the fifth grade, where she sang the national anthem for her whole school. As for Ally, who was born premature at 1 pound 14 ounces, she simply says she came out singing!

Post X Factor

The girls did some interviews after the show where, in one interview, they were surprised to learn that they had gotten a tweet from One Direction's Harry Styles, where he expressed his appreciation for what they had accomplished(the girls later got a tweet of support from Harry's groupmate Niall Horan).

In an interview after the show, Simon Cowell hinted that he did intend to sign the girls to his label Syco Music, but there had been no official word until January 17, 2013. The girls do intend to stay together, and they even have their own official website.

It was announced on January 17, 2013 that Fifth Harmony signed a deal with Epic Records. The girls are currently in the recording studio working on their first album. They have also started a YouTube channel where they have posted cover versions of various songs ranging from "Thinkin' Bout You" by Frank Ocean to "Red" by Taylor Swift. The ladies also made an appearence at the 2013 Kids Choice Awards. The girls even got to work with the group Boyce Avenue on a cover of the Justin Timberlake hit "Mirrors", which is charted the iTunes charts.

First single

The girls announced on June 7, 2013 that a song called "Miss Movin' On" will be their first single. It premiered on Saturday Night Online on June 15, 2013. The song's lyric video on their Vevo channel had earned almost 700,000 views.

The song was released on iTunes on July 16, 2013 with the official music video preimireing on VEVO the day before. The song's music video has racked up 71 million views and counting since its debut.

Their second single, "Me and My Girls", premiered on Radio Disney on July 15, 2013. That song's music video premiered in the Disney Channel on August 24, 2013. The girls even performed the song on the X Factor on November 14, 2013.

Better Together (2013-present)

Their debut EP, Better Together, was released on October 22, 2013.There debut album was set to be releases on October 25, 2014 with the first single, "BO$$", having been released on July 7, 2014.

Tour

The ladies announced on July 23, 2013 that they will be touring with British singer and UK X Factor alum Cher Lloyd. The tour kicked off on September 6, 2013 in Silver Spring, Maryland and ended on September 23 in Los Angeles.

On September 30, 2013 Demi Lovato anounced that Fifth Harmony, along with Cher Lloyd and the British girl group Little Mix, would open for her on her Neon Lights Tour when it kicked off on February 9, 2014 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Their time on the tour ended on March 30, 2014.

On March 31, 2014, the girls were announced as one of 13 acts, along with Emblem 3, to perform at the BLI SummerJam concert on Jones Beach in Long Island, New York. The concert was held on June 1, 2014. The girls also announced that they are launching another tour, this one called "Fifth's Time A Charm", that kicked off on May 3, 2014 in Valdosta, Georgia.

"BO$$"

The girls released their new single, "BO$$", on July 7, 2014. The announcement of the new single caused a frenzy among their fans on social media. The song made its worldwide debut on Saturday Night Online on July 5, 2014. The single peaked at number 6 on iTunes. The music video was released on July 9, 2014 and peaked at number 1 on the iTunes music video chart.